Morton

Until the summer of 2004, Morton and Hanthorpe were two villages on either side of the main A15 trunk road between Bourne and Lincoln, although regarded as one by local people in all but name.

Now they are one, the change having been approved by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Ordnance Survey and the Registrar General, and notices to this effect were posted around the village in September of that year and in future, its affairs are in the hands of Morton and Hanthorpe parish council. It is but a change in name because the two communities have for long shared many things, the church, post office, the village hall and not least, the public houses because all of these facilities existed at Morton although not at Hanthorpe.

Coincidentally, it was announced at the same time by the Lincolnshire Association of Local Councils that Morton and Hanthorpe Parish Council had been granted quality status, a prestige award for the council which is the first in South Lincolnshire to be so honoured. Morton and Hanthorpe, as it has been known for some time, was also named the best kept village in the 2,000-plus class, the judge making very favourable comments about the absence of litter and the community spirit that exists here.

The village inn, the Five Bells, has been a hostelry for at least two centuries but it has not been a business on its own account until recent years. In 1842, it was listed in local records as both a farm and a public house run by Edward Clarke and by 1900, his son William Clarke was described as a farmer, butcher and publican. 

The Five Bells stands next to the parish church and it is this association that gave the hostelry its name because it is within the sound of the bells of St John Baptist Church. Many English villages have an inn named the Bell, four, five, six – in fact bells in all numbers up to twelve are numerous. The church did indeed have five bells when this inn was built but a sixth was added in 1892. Englishmen have always had a fondness for their bells and there are now some 40,000 men and women who are enthusiastic ringers. This explains why the Eight Bells, the usual number in a peal, is so popular. The name is also associated with one of the favourite hobbies practised in English villages in the past, that of handbell ringing, and this is also identified on many signs.

The village church of St John the Baptist stands next to the Five Bells and the tower is a prominent landmark in the fenland countryside, its tall pinnacles and hideous gargoyles rising from the heart of the cross-shaped church while the wide western porch faces the main street. The door is handsome with tracery and studded with nails and the interior is impressive, a grand vista of arches and pillars from the early 14th century, while beyond is the vaulted tower with arches into the nave, chancel and transepts. A small priest's door in the south wall of the chancel may be of 12th century origin, thus this part of the chancel may have belonged to an earlier church. 

It appears that in the second half of the 14th century, a scheme for rebuilding on the present plan began and continued well into the 15th century. The chancel has some particularly graceful windows and is typical of 14th century design, contrasting strongly with the straight lines of the Perpendicular which was later inserted in the east end. The great tower with its fine strong vault was most likely built at the same time as the nave, though its upper stages are later in character, and for five centuries, it has stood as a monument to Christianity in this part of Lincolnshire and now it is illuminated at night and can be seen from several miles away, a beacon of faith in a flat and sometimes featureless landscape. The aisles were completed in the Perpendicular style of the 15th century and there is a particularly interesting octagonal font, a rich example also from the same period.

The church underwent  an extensive and costly restoration in 1861, mainly due to the philanthropy of William Parker (1792-1885) of Hanthorpe House and the church contains a memorial to him. The Marquesses of Exeter were Lords of the Manor for centuries but the Parkers were among the best known of the local families who actually resided in the area where they also had large land holdings during the 19th century. The bells were restored in 1889 and included work on the bearings which were in a dilapidated condition. The work was carried out by Messrs Taylor and Sons of Loughborough, Leicestershire, and Messrs Wadsley and Sons of Morton, who made the new bell beams measuring 16 ins. X 10 ins. The five old bells were then re-hung and a place left for the sixth which was added in 1892, as mentioned above. A special service was held on Sunday 3rd March 1889 to inaugurate the newly-restored bells when ringers from several other churches in the county came to try them out.

In 1999, the south and west facing walls of the tower were refurbished at a cost of over £30,000. Scaffolding went up during the summer to enable stonemasons reach the highest points and the work was completed by the autumn. It included re-pointing and replacing windows and stone which had been eroded by 600 years of weather but as with all country churches, there is still much maintenance work required to keep the fabric of this building in good order for future generations. The church hall on the far side of the road is less impressive although it no doubt serves its purpose as a meeting place for the discussion of village affairs but then it could hardly compete with its grand neighbour.

The village hall at Morton looks a modern building but its history began during the late 19th century when it started life as a Methodist Chapel. A Methodist society existed in the village as far back as 1846 although there was no sense of permanence until a Mr and Mrs Pinder arrived to live at nearby Stainfield. They had been prominent members of the Wesleyan Society at Kirkby Underwood and through their enthusiasm, members of the congregation began to plan for their own chapel. A site was purchased for £49 in 1889 and building work eventually began in the autumn of 1892 and was completed by December at a cost of £200 although fittings cost a further £150. 

The chapel, which measured 40 feet by 27 feet with seating for 200 people, was built for just under £400, much of the money being raised by donations, a bazaar and sales of work. It was certified by the church for authorised worship the following year but it was not until March 1898 that the building was licensed for the solemnisation of weddings. The chapel lasted only 70 years and was closed during the winter of 1967 but sold two years later to the parish council and converted for use as the village hall that we see today. Although the refurbishment completely altered the appearance of the chapel, the original building can still be identified.

A large painting measuring 16 feet by 8 feet has been given pride of place on the wall of the village hall where it depicts the locality of past and present times. The painting was commissioned to celebrate the millennium and is the work of local artist Terry Barnatt who spent four months on its creation, using acrylic paints and emulsions. It is based on a map of the parish and includes landmark buildings such as churches and old houses, wildlife, farming scenes and village views. 

Terry who lives at Hanthorpe, which is part of Morton parish, became a professional artist and glass engraver after twenty years as a company secretary for a local wool merchant. These subjects were his hobby but now his full time occupation and his work is well known in the locality. He has a particular interest in wildlife and as a young man was influenced by artists such as Sir Peter Scott and Keith Shackleton which is much evident in the Morton Millennium Mural that includes flora and fauna that can be seen in the vicinity, particularly Bourne Woods, one of his favourite spots. 

The mural was conceived by the village’s 2000 committee who financed it by raising the money locally and with a grant from the Lincolnshire Community Arts Fund. It was officially unveiled at a millennium party in February by Mrs Libby Murdin, one of the village’s respected senior citizens who has devoted much of her life to voluntary work in the community. She said that it was something of which the village could be proud. "We have celebrated the millennium", she said, "much more than other villages in the area. The committee has fostered and enriched community life in the village. We should be very proud to have an artist in the parish who has produced what you see. It will be a lasting memorial to the millennium, a thing of beauty, and I hope it will be a joy to everyone." 

Contrasting properties can be found in the main street at Morton village. This row of three cottages probably date back to the 18th century but have been greatly altered and it is now difficult to ascertain where one starts and the other begins. Thatch has been retained in the middle section but the outer ends have been tiled, a much cheaper alternative. Across the road, a magnificent three-bay Georgian stone house with a one-bay pediment stands proud and unaltered and so retains its grandeur from another age. 

The Grange is one of the oldest properties in the village, probably 17th century and built to an L-shaped design. The pair of circular lodges with conical roofs each side of the entrance may also be of this date.

The Victorian railway station at Morton has a similar history to the one at Rippingale and is of the same design and construction. It was built on the outskirts of the village around 1872 when the railway line between Bourne and Sleaford was opened and closed in 1964. The solid red brick property has since been turned into a private residence and the platform has been removed to make way for an additional wing to the house together with two garages although the engine shed and other outbuildings remain nearby.

See also     Hanthorpe     William Parker

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